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L.A. auto show: Cadillac, Smart tie for design-challenge win

Judges at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge selected the Cadillac Aera and the Smart 454 WWT as the winners of the challenge.

The two winners were selected because they were able to achieve comfort, safety and driving performance without sacrificing styling, according to the judges.

"Deciding this year's Design Challenge winner was a tremendously difficult decision as the quality of entries has increased throughout the years," the judging committee said. "This year's winners offer two very different visions of the 1,000-pound car, yet are equally as amazing. They are both very expressive of their brand; GM is art and science and Smart is playful and fun."

Automotive designers were challenged with designing a four-passenger car that weighed 1,000 pounds without passengers. The vehicles were also judged on artistic beauty, comfort, uniqueness of design, roadworthiness, sustainability, performance and the user-friendliness of the vehicle.

Cadillac Aera

The Aera is a 2+2 coupe powered by a Pneumatic Drive System, which uses compressed air to drive the wheels. The composite storage tank is rated up to 10,000 psi and has a range of 1,000 miles.

"It's designed as a small city-urban vehicle, but we approached this 2+2 touring coupe very much from the brand's luxury perspective," said Jussi Timonen, the project's manager. "Every detail of the Aera was conceived to minimize the vehicle's environmental impact with sacrificing style, comfort and attention to detail."

The body of the Aera employs a monoformed frame. The exterior skin is a flexible polymer meant to increase aerodynamics and provide an ultralightweight alternative to conventional body panels and glass.

The interior was built with ultralight recyclable polymer and has fully adjustable seating, storage and other comfort features.

The Aera also incorporates an all-in-one system that combines the wheels, motor, steering and suspension. It also has a drive-by-wire system meant to decrease the mass of electrical components.

Smart 454 WWT

The Smart designers at the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in Sindelfingen, Germany, designed the Smart 454 WWT on three principles--German technology, design art and granny's hand-knitted woolen socks.

The 454 WWT is constructed by Smart Granny Robots (that's what Smart calls them) that use huge knitting needles to knit the vehicle's main structure out of carbon fiber. This process creates complex shapes and optimizes the weight and strength of the 454 WWT.

Without passengers the car weighs 454 kilograms (1,000 pounds), hence the name. To achieve this weight, the windows, fenders and bumpers are made of recyclable, colored plastics. The roof is a thin, highly durable recycled fabric. The tires of the 454 WWT are made from carbon fiber.

The vehicle is powered by two 15-kilowatt electric motors and has a replaceable lithium-ion battery. The two motors are located between the rear wheels.

The interior of the 454 WWT has everything except an instrument panel. Instead, it uses an iPad to show the speed, battery charge, air conditioning and navigation system.